1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to pharmaceutical formulations comprising agents capable of inhibiting interleukin-1 (IL-1), and to methods for making and using such formulations. The invention is directed to pharmaceutical formulations having increased stability.
2. Statement of Related Art
Interleukin-1 (IL-1) antagonists capable of blocking or inhibiting the biological action of IL-1, have been described. An example IL-1 antagonist, an IL-1 trap, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,927,044, herein specifically incorporated by reference in its entirety. The term “IL-1 trap” refers to an IL-1-binding fusion protein comprising a dimer of two fusion proteins, each having two IL-1 receptor components and a multimerizing component.
Lyophilization (freeze-drying under controlled conditions) is commonly used for long term storage of proteins. The lyophilized protein is substantially resistant to degradation, aggregation, oxidation, and other degenerative processes while in the freeze-dried state (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,436,897).